Publications
Major reports
Project Report #1 (Feb 2021): Claimants' experiences of the social security system during the first wave of COVID-19
You can find a summary of the report's findings in the news section of our website here, and access the full report here. (You can also access the tables behind the figures, and see a regional breakdown of some of the key figures.)
Project Report #2 (Feb 2021): Navigating Pandemic Social Security: Benefits, Employment and Crisis Support during COVID-19
Organisations engaged in benefits, employment and crisis support play an important role in the lives of claimants in the UK today. In this report, we ask: what is the nature and extent of support received by benefit claimants? And how has this been affected by COVID-19?
Project Report #3 (April 2021): Non-take-up of benefits at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic
In this report, we look at the number of people eligible for UC but who didn't claim it, why they didn't claim, and their situation (funded by the Health Foundation).
In this report, we look those who were not eligible for UC or other benefits (funded by the Health Foundation).
In this report, we look at whether COVID-19 transformed welfare attitudes - and what this means for policy.
In this report, we look at the extent of food insecurity among different types of claimants.
Rapid findings
Rapid Findings #1 (June 2020): Claiming but Connected to Work
This report presents the first findings from the Welfare at a (Social) Distance project to look at how far benefit claimants are connected to the world of work, helping to better understand the emerging picture from recent UK labour market statistics. In this report, we investigate a range of questions including, how many new claimants have a job? How many people are claiming unemployment related benefits? And what employment support do these new claimants need?
Rapid Findings #2 (Sep 2020): Who are the new COVID-19 cohort of benefit claimants?
This report provides an overview of some of the key characteristics of benefit claimants and distinguishes between those who made their claim either before or after the COVID-19 outbreak in the UK. Evidence suggests that the socio-demographic profile of new claimants differs considerably from those who were already claiming before COVID-19. These differences raise questions about the inequalities that exist as people enter into the benefit system, but also the administrative and operational features that risk amplifying these inequalities or creating new ones.
Rapid Findings #3 (Oct 2020): At the Edge of the Safety Net: Unsuccessful benefits claims at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic
There has been much scrutiny of the British benefits system during COVID-19, and most experts agree that the benefits system has performed well, even if historic weaknesses remain. Yet little attention has been paid to those who start a claim that is ultimately not successful. This report focuses on these ‘unsuccessful claimants’, using new YouGov survey data and interviews funded by the Health Foundation.
Essays, Briefing Notes & Evidence Submissions
-
"What can local responses to COVID-19 tell us about the potential and challenges for devolved ‘welfare’?": Essay submission for Greater Manchester Poverty Action
-
"The DWP's response to the coronavirus outbreak": Written evidence from the Welfare at a (Social) Distance research team
-
"The impact of ending the COVID-19 £20 uprating of Universal Credit": Written evidence from the Welfare at a (Social) Distance research team
